Integrated circuit (IC) chips may be housed in a variety of electronic package styles. One style of electronic package is a tape carrier package (TCP) wherein an IC chip is mounted directly on a dielectric tape such as polyimide. A conductive foil such as copper is overlaid on the tape and is etched to produce discrete electrical leads extending from the chip. A sealing resin is applied over the chip for protection and to seal out contaminants. The TCP can be attached directly to a circuit board by a known solder process, but it is often desirable to mount the TCP in a socket which provides an electrical interconnection to the circuit board but allows the TCP to be readily removed for replacement or upgrade.
The leads from the chip on the TCP are extremely fine, i.e., on the order of 0.004 inch wide, and are spaced apart on 0.010 inch centerlines, thus making it difficult to accurately align the leads with respective contacts in a socket. There is a need for a socket which ensures accurate engagement of the leads with their respective contacts.
Further, the TCP is somewhat fragile and difficult to handle in a high volume manufacturing environment. There is a need for a TCP holder which simplifies handling of the TCP. In particular, it would be desirable for the holder to act as a subassembly of the socket, whereby the holder having the TCP therein could be secured to a socket body to form a complete socket assembly.